Amphibious vehicle

ABSTRACT

An amphibious vehicle achieves a stable ride, maneuverability, and high speed. The vehicle includes a hull having a “V” center portion with outboard sponsons. The sponsons reside between the front wheel wells and the rear wheels wells for improving lift and transition to planing. Shallow tunnels begin in rear portions of the front wheel wells and taper into the sponsons to release water trapped in the wheel wells. Inward facing turning edges also reside between the front and rear wheel wells and improve in-water handling. Wheels are retractable by pneumatic cylinders in parallel with air shock absorbers and suspension cutout in the hull allow the suspension to lower through the hull. Flaps reside under suspension members and rise to cover the suspension cutouts when the wheels are retractable when the wheels are raised to reduce drag. A Morse cable couple a rack and pinion unit to a jet drive.

The present application claims the priority of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 60/969,673 filed Sep. 3, 2007, which provisionalapplication is incorporated in it's entirety herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to amphibious vehicles and in particularto an amphibious vehicle capable of operation in rough water and highin-water speeds.

Amphibious vehicles have been known for many years. It has been reportedthat only one amphibious vehicle has been made in commercial production.That amphibious vehicle was the Amphicar, which was built in Germanyfrom 1961 to 1968. This vehicle had a top speed of only 7 mph in water.The Amphicar, was driven in the water by a pair of propellers.

In June 2004, a Gibbs Aquada set a record for crossing the EnglishChannel by averaging over 13 miles per hour and having a top speed ofapproximately 30 miles per hour.

Another amphibious vehicle, the Watercar disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.6,808,430 filed by the present applicant, achieves in-water speeds ofapproximately 45 miles per hour. The Watercar has a frame which supportsa body which has a buoyant hull portion. The Watercar suspensionincludes coil over shock absorbers and the top mounting points of thecoil over shock absorbers are mounted to cylinders allowing the frontand rear wheels to be retracted (raised) by lifting the coil over shockmounting points. A water jet pump assembly is supported in the body andhas a water intake in the bottom of the hull portion. An impeller moveswater rearwardly to a water outlet jet at the stern of the hull portionof the vehicle. An engine is supported by the frame and is mounted overthe water jet pump assembly. The engine drives both the wheels and thewater jet pump selectively through a power transfer assembly. The frameof the Watercar has two longitudinal frame members joined near the bowby a bridge frame supporting the front wheel controls, and at the rearby a rear bridge frame extending upwardly and connected by a crossmember. Port and starboard front and rear wheel bottom plates extendfrom a recessed position to an extended position where they slide underthe raised wheels. The in-water character of the Watercar is basicallythat of a flat bottom boat without a scag. A scag was not includedbecause of road clearance during on-land use, and the cost anddifficulty of including a deployable scag. As a result of the absence ofthe scag, the Watercar does not turn as well as it might had it includeda scag and flat bottom boats generally have a poor ride in rough water.Further, some features of the Watercar are expensive to manufacture andresults in a fairly expensive product. The '430 patent is hereinincorporated in it's entirety by reference.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention addresses the above and other needs by providingan amphibious vehicle which achieves a stable ride, maneuverability, andhigh speed. The vehicle includes a hull having a “V” center portion withoutboard sponsons. The sponsons reside between the front wheel wells andthe rear wheels wells for improving lift and transition to planing.Shallow tunnels begin in rear portions of the front wheel wells andtaper into the sponsons to release water trapped in the wheel wells.Inward facing turning edges also reside between the front and rear wheelwells and improve in-water handling. Wheels are retractable by pneumaticcylinders in parallel with air shock absorbers and suspension cutout inthe hull allow the suspension to lower through the hull. Flaps resideunder suspension members and rise to cover the suspension cutouts whenthe wheels are retracted to reduce drag. A Morse cable couples a rackand pinion unit to a jet drive.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided anamphibious vehicle comprising a frame, two front wheels supported by theframe, two rear wheels supported by the frame, a hull carrying theframe, a body carried above the hull, a power plant providing power, ajet drive, and a drive mechanism. The hull includes a bow, a stern, abow portion extending from the bow to the at least one front wheel, amid portion between the at least one front wheel and the rear wheels, astern portion extending form the rear wheels to the stern, a “V” shapedlongitudinal center portion extending along a centerline of the hullfrom the bow to the stern, and sponsons extending along outside edges ofthe hull between the at least one front wheel and the rear wheels. Thejet drive receives power from the power plant and resides inside thehull at the stern of the hull for providing in-water propulsion. Thedrive mechanism receives power from the power plant for driving the rearwheels for providing on-land propulsion. Front wheel wells are providedfor the front wheels and rear wheel wells for the rear wheels and boththe front and rear wheel wells are formed in the hull and/or the body.Port and starboard tunnels sweep downward and sternward behind eachfront wheel well and taper shallower towards the port and starboard rearwheel wells respectively for providing a smooth path for water caught inthe front wheel wells to escape.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided anamphibious vehicle comprising a frame, two front wheels supported by theframe, two rear wheels supported by the frame, a hull carrying theframe, a body carried above the hull, a power plant providing power, ajet drive, and a drive mechanism. The hull includes a bow, a stern, abow portion extending from the bow to the at least one front wheel, amid portion between the at least one front wheel and the rear wheels, astern portion extending form the rear wheels to the stern, a “V” shapedlongitudinal center portion extending along a centerline of the hullfrom the bow to the stern, and sponsons extending along outside edges ofthe hull between the at least one front wheel and the rear wheels. Thejet drive receives power from the power plant and resides inside thehull at the stern of the hull for providing in-water propulsion. Thedrive mechanism receives power from the power plant for driving the rearwheels for providing on-land propulsion. Front wheel wells are providedfor the two front wheels and rear wheel wells for the rear wheels, boththe front and rear wheel wells formed in the hull and/or the body. Portand starboard, front and rear suspension cutouts are formed in the hullbottom vertically aligned with the port and starboard front and rearsuspension respectively.

The front and rear suspension is lowerable to the lowered positionsthrough the suspension cutouts when the wheels are extended for on-roaddriving, and the control arms raisable to the raised positions above thesuspension cutouts then the wheels are retracted for in-water driving.Port and starboard front and rear flaps are vertically aligned with thesuspension cutouts. The flaps reside planar to the bottom of the hullwhen the control arms are in the raised positions for smoothing at leasta portion of the suspension cutouts with the hull, and the flaps arelowerable to vertically separate from the bottom of the hull to allowthe suspension control arms to assume the lowered positions. Thecombination of cutouts and flaps is important because the cutouts allowgreater wheel lowering and thus greater ground clearance to allow a “V”hull for on-road operation. The flaps reduce the drag which wouldotherwise result from the cutouts and the rear flaps in particularreduce drag near the stern to facilitate the transition to planing.

In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, there isprovided an amphibious vehicle comprising a frame, two front wheelssupported by the frame, a rack and pinion steering unit for turning thefront wheels for on-land steering, two rear wheels supported by theframe, a hull carrying the frame, a body carried above the hull, a powerplant providing power, a jet drive, and a drive mechanism. The hullincludes a bow, a stern, a bow portion extending from the bow to the atleast one front wheel, a mid portion between the at least one frontwheel and the rear wheels, a stern portion extending form the rearwheels to the stern, a “V” shaped longitudinal center portion extendingalong a centerline of the hull from the bow to the stern, and sponsonsextending along outside edges of the hull between the at least one frontwheel and the rear wheels. The jet drive receives power from the powerplant and resides inside the hull at the stern of the hull for providingin-water propulsion. The drive mechanism receives power from the powerplant for driving the rear wheels for providing on-land propulsion. AMorse cable is connected between the rack and pinion steering unit andthe jet drive to turn the jet drive for in-water steering. The rack andpinion steering unit may be manual or a power rack and pinion steeringunit and connection of the Morse cable to the steering arms provides asimilar feel to on-land steering and to in-water steering. In apreferred embodiment, a sliding member and at least one spring allow forfull lock to lock steering of the jet drive to correspond to about onehalf of the lock to lock steering of the front wheels. A more preferredembodiment includes a slotted bell crank which firmly holds the jetdrive at a center position.

In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, there isprovided an amphibious vehicle comprising a frame, two front wheelssupported by the frame, two rear wheels supported by the frame, a hullcarrying the frame, a body carried above the hull, a power plantproviding power, a jet drive, and a drive mechanism. The hull includes abow, a stern, a bow portion extending from the bow to the at least onefront wheel, a mid portion between the at least one front wheel and therear wheels, a stern portion extending form the rear wheels to thestern, a “V” shaped longitudinal center portion extending along acenterline of the hull from the bow to the stern, and sponsons extendingalong outside edges of the hull between the at least one front wheel andthe rear wheels. The jet drive receives power from the power plant andresides inside the hull at the stern of the hull for providing in-waterpropulsion. The drive mechanism receives power from the power plant fordriving the rear wheels for providing on-land propulsion. Port andstarboard, front and rear, control arms are moveably connected betweenthe wheels and the frame inboard of the wheels for allowing verticalmotion of the wheels. The control arms have control arm loweredpositions for extending the wheels for on-road driving and control armraised positions for retracting the wheels for in-water driving. Portand starboard, front and rear shock absorbers are connected between thecontrol arms and the frame. Port and starboard cylinders are connectedbetween the control arms and the frame in parallel with the shockabsorbers for lifting the control arms to retract the wheel for in-waterdriving. Front and rear air bags are preferably included for supportingthe frame (i.e., in place of spring). The air bags are filled with airto extend the wheels and the air is released from the air bags andpressure is applied to the air cylinders below internal pistons toretract the wheels. The front air bags are preferably air bag elementsof the front shock absorbers and the rear air bags are preferablyconnected between the rear suspension and the frame in parallel with therear shock absorbers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the presentinvention will be more apparent from the following more particulardescription thereof, presented in conjunction with the followingdrawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side view of an amphibious vehicle according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 2A is a front view of the amphibious vehicle.

FIG. 2B is a rear view of the amphibious vehicle.

FIG. 3 is a second side view of the amphibious vehicle.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the amphibious vehicle taken alongline 4-4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the amphibious vehicle taken alongline 5-5 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a port side leading edge flaringinto a sponson according to the present invention, residing behind afront port side wheel taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 7A is a top view of an amphibious vehicle frame and suspensionaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 7B is a side view of the amphibious vehicle frame and suspension.

FIG. 7C is a front view of the amphibious vehicle frame and suspension.

FIG. 7D is a rear view of the amphibious vehicle frame and suspension.

FIG. 7E is a top view of a second embodiment of the rear suspension.

FIG. 7F is a rear view of the second embodiment of the rear suspension.

FIG. 8A is a side view of the amphibious vehicle with the wheelsextended for on-road driving.

FIG. 8B is a side view of the amphibious vehicle with the wheelsretracted for in-water driving.

FIG. 9A is a side view of the amphibious vehicle frame with suspensionlowered to extend the wheels for on-road driving.

FIG. 9B is a side view of the amphibious vehicle frame with thesuspension raised to retract the wheels for in-water driving.

FIG. 9C is a side view of the amphibious vehicle frame with the secondembodiment of the rear suspension lowered to extend the wheels foron-road driving.

FIG. 9D is a side view of the amphibious vehicle frame with the secondembodiment of the rear suspension raised to lift the wheels for in-waterdriving.

FIG. 10A is a side view of a hull according to the present inventionwith flap according to the present invention laying against the bottomof the hull.

FIG. 10B is a bottom view of the hull showing control arm cutouts andthe flaps covering the cutouts to smooth the cutouts with the bottom ofthe hull.

FIG. 10C is a side view of the hull showing the flaps verticallyseparated from the hull to allow the control arms to move to a loweredcontrol arm position for on-road driving.

FIG. 11A shows front control arms lowered and pushing front flaps downaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 11B shows front control arms raised and pulling front flaps upagainst the hull according to the present invention.

FIG. 12A shows the rear suspension lowered and pushing rear flaps downaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 12B shows the rear suspension raised and pulling the rear flaps upagainst the hull according to the present invention.

FIG. 12C shows the second embodiment of the rear suspension lowered andpushing the rear flaps down according to the present invention.

FIG. 12D shows the second embodiment of the rear suspension raised andpulling the rear flaps up against the hull according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 13A shows a first embodiment of a land and water steering unitaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 13B shows a second embodiment of a land and water steering unitaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 14 shows a Morse cable attached to the jet drive.

FIG. 15A shows a top view of the second embodiment of a land and watersteering unit in a centered position.

FIG. 15B shows a top view of the second embodiment of a land and watersteering unit in a partial left turn position.

FIG. 15C shows a top view of the second embodiment of a land and watersteering unit in a full left turn position.

FIG. 16A shows a top view of the third embodiment of a land and watersteering unit in a centered position.

FIG. 16B shows a top view of the third embodiment of a land and watersteering unit in a partial left turn position.

FIG. 16C shows a top view of the third embodiment of a land and watersteering unit in a full left turn position.

FIG. 17A shows the amphibious vehicle in-water.

FIG. 17B shows an interior side wall according to the present inventionfor allowing the doors to open while in-water without allowing water toenter the amphibious vehicle.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding componentsthroughout the several views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following description is of the best mode presently contemplated forcarrying out the invention. This description is not to be taken in alimiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of describing one ormore preferred embodiments of the invention. The scope of the inventionshould be determined with reference to the claims.

A side view of an amphibious vehicle 10 according to the presentinvention is shown in FIG. 1, a front view of the amphibious vehicle 10is shown in FIG. 2A, and a rear view of the amphibious vehicle 10 isshown in FIG. 2B. The amphibious vehicle 10 includes a body 15 having abow portion 10 a ahead of front axles 35 (see FIG. 7B), a mid portion 10b between front and rear axles 43 (see FIG. 7B), a stern portion 10 cbehind rear axles, a bow 11, and a stern 13. A hull 20 of the amphibiousvehicle 10 resides on the bottom of the amphibious vehicle 10. Theamphibious vehicle 10 is carried by front wheels 14 a and rear wheels 14b for on-land driving. The front wheels 14 a reside in front wheel wells12 a and the rear wheels 14 b reside in stern wheel wells 12 b. Port andstarboard sponsons 16 a and 16 b (also see FIGS. 4, 5, and 10B) resideon lower outboard port and starboard sides of the amphibious vehicle 10between the front and rear wheel wells 12 a and 12 b, and a jet drive 18resides at the stern of the amphibious vehicle 10 to provide in-waterpropulsion.

The hull 20 includes a “V” shaped longitudinal center portion 20 aproviding a better in-water ride in rough water and a narrow flat centermost portion 20 b towards the rear of the hull 20. Unlike boat hulls,the hull 20 includes two bow wheel wells 12 a and two stern wheel wells12 b interrupting the bottom surface of the hull 20. The presence of thefour wheel wells 12 a and 12 b both creates drag and reduces lift. Suchdrag and loss of lift affects a vehicle at moderate speeds when thevehicle is attempting to plane and a large portion of the hull is stillwet. The sponsons 16 a and 16 b overcome these difficulties by providingadditional surface (or lifting) area in the center portion 10 b of thehull 20 of the amphibious vehicle 10, which center portion 10 b is wetat moderate speed providing lift. The wet area shifts back towards thestern of the hull 20 as speed increases, and planing at high speed doesnot require substantial lift from the sponsons 16 a and 16 b, althoughaft ends of the sponsons 16 a and 16 b generally remain wet during highspeed planing to provide improved stability.

The design of the sponsons is a balance between drag and lift and anoptimal design is dependent on the length and design of the hull, andthe weight and balance of the amphibious vehicle. A greater wet areaimproves lift, but also adds some to drag. Maintaining at least a smallrear portion of the sponsons in the water at high speed improvesstability. Generally, the depth of the sponson D_(S) relative to thedepth of the hull D_(H) (see FIG. 4A) has the greatest affect on sponsonhydrodynamics. The sponson design goal is to make the depth of thesponson D_(S) great enough to obtain lift at moderate speed andstability at high speed. The exact design to accomplish this goal for aspecific hull design may require in-water testing.

A second side view of the amphibious vehicle 10 is shown in FIG. 3, across-sectional view of the amphibious vehicle 10 taken along line 4-4of FIG. 3 is shown in FIG. 4, a cross-sectional view of the amphibiousvehicle 10 taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 3 is shown in FIG. 5, andcross-sectional view of a leading edge 22 a, according to the presentinvention, of the sponson 16 a taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 4 is shownin FIG. 6. Port and starboard leading edges 22 a and 22 b reside betweenthe port and starboard front wells 12 a and 12 b and the port andstarboard sponsons 16 a and 16 b on each side of the “V” shapedlongitudinal center portion 20 a of the hull 20. The port and starboardleading edges 22 a and 22 b sweep downward and sternward just behind theport and starboard front wheel wells 12 a and 12 b respectively andmerge into the port and starboard sponsons 16 a and 16 b respectivelyfor providing a smooth path for water caught in the front wheel wells 12a and 12 b to escape to improve in-water lift and stability. The lengthof the sponsons L_(S), measured from the transition of the leading edges22 a and 22 b to the sponsons 16 a and 16, is preferably between onehalf and two thirds of the length between the wheel wells L_(W), and ismore preferably approximately two thirds of the length between the wheelwells L_(W).

Inward facing port and starboard turning edges 17 a and 17 b preferablyform inside edges of the sponsons 16 a and 16 b respectively. Theturning edges 17 a and 17 b provide the important function of catchingthe water when the amphibious vehicle 10 is turned in the water, thusimproving in-water responsiveness. The turning edges 17 a and 17 b arepreferably between inside and outside edges of the wheel wells 12 a and12 b, and are more preferably aligned with inside edges of the wheelwells 12 a and 12 b (see FIG. 10B). The turning edges 17 a and 17 b arepreferably vertical edges, but may be sloped, and preferably extend downa sponson depth D_(S) between 25 percent and 75 percent of a hull (or“V”) depth D_(H) below a highest point 20′ of the hull seen in thecross-sectional view of FIG. 4A, and more preferably extend down thesponson depth D_(S) of approximately 50 percent of the hull depth D_(H)measured from the base of the turning edges 17 a and 17 b. In theembodiment of FIG. 4A, the cutting edge 17A had a cutting edge heightequivalent to the sponson depth D_(S).

While sponsons with an inside edge formed by the turning edges andsloping outward and upward from the turning edges (see FIGS. 4 and 5)are preferred, any amphibious vehicle with hydrodynamic surfaces betweenthe wheel wells providing lift at low and moderate speeds is intended tocome within the scope of the present invention. any combination ofturning edge and sponson between the wheel wells providing improvedturning (the turning edges) and improved lift at low and moderate speeds(the sponsons) is intended to come within the scope of the presentinvention. For example, the turning edges may be at the outside edge ofthe sponsons (i.e., aligned with the outside edges of the wheel wells)and the sponsons may slope upward and outward to the turning edges.Further, when the turning edges are on the inside edge of the sponsons,the sponsons may have a flat nearly horizontal bottom, not rising orlowering.

Port and starboard negative chines 19 a and 19 b run along outside edgesof the sponsons 16 a and 16 b between the front and rear wheel wells 12a and 12 b. The chines 19 a and 19 b reach outward and downward andreduce or eliminate water splashing into the amphibious vehicle 10interior.

A top view of an amphibious vehicle frame 30, front suspension controlarms 34, and rear suspension control arms 42 according to the presentinvention is shown in FIG. 7A, a side view of the amphibious vehicleframe and suspension is shown in FIG. 7B, a front view of the amphibiousvehicle frame and suspension is shown in FIG. 7C, and a rear view of theamphibious vehicle frame and suspension is shown in FIG. 7D. The frontsuspension control arms 34 preferably comprise upper and lower lateralcontrol arms (i.e., extending laterally between the front wheels 14 aand the frame 30) connecting the front wheels 14 a to the frame 30 toallow normal suspension motion for on-road driving and for allowing thefront wheels 14 a to be retracted for in-water driving. Front axles 35are carried by the front control arms 34.

While the embodiment described herein includes upper and lower frontcontrol arm and trailing arm rear suspension, such is merely a singleembodiment of the present invention. Other embodiments may includetrailing arm front suspension, A arm rear suspension, or McPhersonstruts at the front and/or rear. An amphibious vehicle includingsponsons, turning edges, flaps for covering suspension openings, orsteering according to the present invention is intended to come withinthe scope of the present invention regardless of the type of suspensionused for on-road driving.

The rear suspension control arms 42 preferably comprise trailing controlarms 42 connected between the frame 30 and the rear wheels 14 b. Thetrailing control arms pivot at a forward mounting point to allow normalsuspension motion for on-road driving and for allowing the rear wheels14 b to be retracted for in-water driving. Rear axles 43 are carried bythe rear suspension 42.

Continuing with FIGS. 7A-7D, front shock absorbers 36 a are connectedbetween the suspension control arms 34 and the frame 30 to dampingmotion of the front wheels 14 a. Front cylinders 38 a are mounted inparallel with the front shock absorbers 36 a and are connected to apressure source so that when pressure is applied to bases of thecylinders 38 a (i.e., below pistons in the cylinders 38 a), the frontwheels 14 a are retracted for in-water driving. Similarly, rear shockabsorbers 36 b are connected between the rear suspension control arms 42and the frame 30 to damping motion of the rear wheels 14 b. Rearcylinders 38 b are mounted in parallel with the rear shock absorbers 36b and are connected to the pressure source so that when pressure isapplied to bases of the cylinders 38 b (i.e., below pistons in thecylinders 38 b), the rear wheels 14 b are retracted for in-waterdriving. Both the front shock absorbers 36 a and cylinders 38 a arepreferably connected between the control arms and towers 44. The towers44 are preferably molded into the body for added strength and to sealthe wheel wells to keep water out of the interior and enginecompartment.

A top view of a second embodiment of the rear suspension 42′ is shown inFIG. 7E, and a rear view of the second embodiment of the rear suspension42′ is shown in FIG. 7F. The rear suspension 42′ replaces the rearlifting cylinders 38 b with second rear air bags 40′. The air bags 40′are attached to the frame through a bracket at the air bag bottom, andto the rear suspension at the air bag top. When the air bags 40′ areinflated, the rear suspension 42′ is raised.

A side view of the amphibious vehicle 10 with the wheels 14 a and 14 bextended for on-road driving is shown in FIG. 8A, a side view of theamphibious vehicle 10 with the wheels 14 a and 14 b retracted forin-water driving is shown in FIG. 8B, a side view of the amphibiousvehicle frame 30 with suspension control arms 34 and 42 lowered toextend the wheels 14 a and 14 b for on-road driving is shown in FIG. 9A,and a side view of the amphibious vehicle frame 30 with the control armsraised to retract the wheels 14 a and 14 b for in-water driving is shownin FIG. 9B. Preferably, air bags 41 and 40 are included to support theamphibious vehicle 10, in place of more common springs. More preferably,the front shock absorbers 36 a are air shock absorbers and mostpreferably the front shock absorbers include air bags 41 seriallyintegrated into the front shock absorbers. More preferably, the rearsuspension includes rear air bags 40 mounted in parallel with the rearshock absorbers 36 b and cylinders 38 b. Such preferred arrangement ofair bags 40 and 41 and cylinders 38 a and 38 b allows a simple and lowcost extending (by removing the pressure from the cylinders andproviding pressure to the air bags) of the wheels 14 a and 14 b, andretracting (by providing the pressure from the cylinders and removingthe pressure to the air bags) of the wheels 14 a and 14 b.

A side view of the amphibious vehicle frame with the second embodimentof the rear suspension 42′ lowered to extend the wheels for on-roaddriving is shown in FIG. 9C, and a side view of the amphibious vehicleframe with the second embodiment of the rear suspension 42′ raised tolift the wheels for in-water driving is shown in FIG. 9D. The air bags40′ replace the cylinders 38 b and are attached to the frame throughbrackets at the air bag bottom, and to the rear suspension at the airbag top. When the air bag 40′ are inflated, the rear suspension 42′ israised.

A side view of the hull 20 according to the present invention with portfront flap 52 a and port and rear flap 52 b according to the presentinvention laying against the bottom of the hull 20 is shown in FIG. 10A,a bottom view of the hull 20 showing port front and rear control armcutouts 50 a and 50 b and starboard front flap 52 a and starboard rearflap 52 b covering starboard front cutout 50 a and starboard rear cutout50 b respectively (not shown), to smooth the cutouts 50 a and 50 b withthe bottom of the hull 20, is shown in FIG. 10B, and a side view of thehull 20 showing the flaps 52 a and 52 b vertically separating from thehull 20 to allow the control arms 34 and 42 (see FIG. 7A-7D), to move toa lowered control arm position for on-road driving, is shown in FIG.10C. The two front flaps 52 a and the two rear flaps 52 b cover controlarm cutouts 50 a and 50 b respectively when the suspension is raised forin-water operation to reduce drag, allowing easier transition toplaning. A water inlet 54 for the jet drive 18 resides laterallycentered on the flat center most bottom portion 20 b of the hull 20 nearthe stern 13. The sponsons 16 a and 16 b are seen to reside in outsideportions of the hull 12′ between the wheel wells 12 a and 12 b.

A front view of the front suspension in a lowered position with the flap52 a pushed down by the lower control arm 34 a is shown in FIG. 11A anda front view of the front suspension in a raised position with the flap52 a pulled up by a strap 53 a attached to the lower control arm 34 a isshown in FIG. 11B (also see FIGS. 10A-10C). The flap 52 a is attached tothe hull 20 along an inside edge 52 a′ and moves downward when thesuspension is lowered (see FIG. 11A). The strap 53 a is preferably anelastic strap and allows for some freedom on tolerances. When the flaps52 a are raised, water is kept out of the front wheel suspension cutouts50 a reducing the potential for increased drag. The flaps 52 a includevertical edge on the outside edge of the flap 52 a to reduce the entryof water into the suspension cutout 50 a. The vertical edge may be fromone to three inches high and vary along the length of the flap.

A rear view of the rear suspension in a lowered position with the flap52 b pushed down by the lower control arm 42a is shown in FIG. 12A and afront view of the rear suspension in a raised position with the flap 52b pulled up by a rear strap 53 b attached to the lower control arm 42 ais shown in FIG. 12B. The flap 52 b is attached to the hull 20 along aforward edge 52 b′ and moves downward when the suspension is lowered(see FIG. 10C). The strap 53 b is preferably not elastic (for example,is a cable or chain) and holds the flap 52 b firmly against the hull 20during in-water operation (also see FIGS. 10A-10C). The rear flaps 52 bgenerally experience much greater water forces than the front flaps 52a, and holding the rear flaps tightly against the bottom of the hull 20is very important in reducing drag. The flaps 52 b also have about a oneinch vertical edge on the outside edge of the flap 52 b to reduce theentry of water into the suspension cutout 50 b.

The second embodiment of the rear suspension 42′ lowered and pushing therear flaps 52 b down is shown in FIG. 12C, and the rear suspension 42′raised and pulling rear flaps 52 b up against the hull according to thepresent invention is shown in FIG. 12D. The air bags 40 are seeninflated to support the amphibious vehicle 10 during on road operationis seen in FIG. 12C, and the air bags 40′ are shown inflated to lift thesuspension 42′ for in-water operation is seen in FIG. 12D.

A first embodiment of a land and water steering unit 60 a, according tothe present invention, having a Morse cable 74 connected to a rack andpinion unit 64 is shown in FIG. 13A. The connection of the Morse cableto the jet drive 18 through a rod 76 is shown in FIG. 14. A slidinginner cable 70 is connected to steering arms 66 which are connected tothe front wheels 14 a (see FIG. 1) for on-land steering. The cable 70 isconnected to a rod 76 connected to the nozzle of the jet drive 18 tosteer in-water. The rack and pinion unit 60 may be a power rack andpinion steering unit or a manual rack and pinion steering unit. Such adirect cable connection between the steering arms 66 and the jet drive18 provides a similar feel to on-land and in-water steering thus makingthe transition between in-water and on-land more natural.

A perspective view of a second embodiment of a land and water steeringunit 60 b, according to the present invention, with the Morse cable 74connected to the rack and pinion steering unit 64 is shown in FIG. 13Band top views of the second embodiment of a land and water steering unit60 b in different positions are shown in FIGS. 15A-15C. In order to havethe same land and water steering feel, some drivers prefer that thewater steering is quicker than the land steering and with less turn lockto lock. To obtain such results, the land and water steering unit 60 bincluding a spring 84 and slot 82 mechanism shown in FIG. 13A in acentered position. A rod 88 is connected to one of the steering arms 66and translates with the steering arm 66 along arrow A1 (arrow A2 showsthe same translation of the opposite steering arm 66). The opposite endof the rod 88 is attached to a sliding member 81 which slides in a slot82 in a coupling device comprising an “L” shaped bell crank 80. The bellcrank 80 pivots at pivot 86 in the corner of the crank. A spring 84 isin tension between the pivot 86 and the sliding member 81 therebypulling the sliding member 81 towards the pivot 86. An inner Morse cable70 attached to a cable end 87 of the bell crank 80 and motion of thesteering arm 66 is thus translated into a motion of the inner Morsecable 70. Preferably, the first approximately three inches of rackmovement is directly translated to three inches of translation of theinner Morse cable. Additional motion of the rack is transmitted only tothe front wheels.

While a land and water steering unit with an “L” shaped bell crank isdisclosed above, any coupling device providing for a sliding member tocouple initial movement of the steering arm away from center with aMorse cable, and to decouple further movement of the steering arm fromthe Morse cable is intended to come within the scope of the presentinvention.

A preferred steering ratio for on-land steering is between 2:1 and 3:1,and a more preferred ratio is approximately 3:1. A preferred steeringratio for in-water steering is between 1.5:1 and 2.5:1, and a morepreferred ratio is approximately 1.5:1. The on-land steering ispreferably 3 turns lock to lock, and the in-water steering is preferably1.5 turns lock to lock.

Initial translation of the steering arms 66 along arrows A1 and A2 isshown in FIG. 15B. The translation of the steering arms 66 results in asimilar translation along arrow A3 of the rod 88. The spring 84 holdsthe sliding member 84 at the end of the slot 82 nearest to the pivot 86,and the translation of the rod 88 causes the bell crank 80 to rotatealong arrow A4. The rotation of the bell crank 80 causes translationalong arrow A5 of the inner Morse cable 70. The inner Morse cable 70 isattached to the rod 76 (see FIG. 14). Turning the steering wheel thuscauses both turning of the front wheel for land steering and turning ofthe jet drive 18 (see FIG. 12).

Full motion of the steering arm 66 is shown in FIG. 15C. The bell crank80 is prevented by stops from further rotation past the rotation shownin FIG. 15B, and the spring 84 is stretched allowing the sliding member84 to slide to the end of the slot 82 farthest from the pivot 86, andthere is no additional translation by the inner Morse cable 70 past thetranslation shown in FIG. 15B. Thus full motion of the jet drive 18 isobtained during an initial translation of the steering arm 66.

A top view of a third embodiment of a land and water steering unit 60 c,according to the present invention, with the Morse cable 74 connected tothe rack and pinion steering unit 64 is shown in FIG. 16A and top viewsof the third embodiment of a land and water steering unit 60 c indifferent positions are shown in FIGS. 16B and 16C. The third embodimentof a land and water steering unit 60 c provides the same benefits as thesecond embodiment 60 b, except without the bell crank 80. The rod 88slides through a second guide 90 b and a third guide 90 c, both attachedto the rack and pinion steering unit 64. A second sliding member 93slides on the rod 88 and is sandwiched between springs 92 a and 92 bwhich are retained between locks 91 a and 91 b. The second slidingmember 93 may thus slide on the rod 88, but is pushed to a centerposition between the locks 91 a and 91 b by the springs 92 a and 92 b.The inner Morse cable 70 is fixed to the second sliding member 93 andtranslates with the second sliding member 93. The inner Morse cable 70further slides through the guide 90 b and second locks 95 a and 95 b areattached to the inner Morse cable 70 on each side of the guide 90 b tolimit the translation of the inner Morse cable 70 through the guide 90 bin either direction. The Morse cable 74 is held by a first guide 90 aattached to the rack and pinion steering unit 64.

Initial translation of the steering arms 66 along arrows A1 and A2 isshown in FIG. 16B. The translation of the steering arms 66 results in asimilar translation along arrow A3 of the rod 88. The springs 92 a and92 b hold the second sliding member 93 centered between the locks 91 aand 91 b, and the translation of the rod 88 causes the second slidingmember 93 and inner Morse cable 70 to translate along arrow A6. Turningthe steering wheel thus causes both turning of the front wheel for landsteering and turning of the jet drive 18 (see FIG. 14).

Full motion of the steering arm 66 is shown in FIG. 16C. The secondsliding member 93 is prevented by stops 95 a and 95 b from furthertranslation past the translation shown in FIG. 16B, and the spring 84 iscompressed allowing the rod 88 to slide through the second slidingmember 93, and there is no additional translation by the inner Morsecable 70 past the translation shown in FIG. 16B. Thus full motion of thejet drive 18 is obtained during a first translation of the steering arm66.

While the spring and sliding members of the third embodiment of a landand water steering unit 60 c are described above at the rack and pinionsteering unit end of the Morse cable 74, a similar apparatus may resideat the jet drive 18 to provide the same result.

A significant advantage of the second embodiment of a land and watersteering unit 60 b is that in the centered position, the slot 82 and thespring 84 are perpendicular to the rod 88. While the third embodiment ofa land and water steering unit 60 c provides a somewhat more simple andintuitive design, the springs 92 a and 92 b, and the sliding directionof the sliding of the second sliding member 93 are aligned with the rod88. As a result, the second sliding member 93 may not hold the jet drive18 in a centered position at high speed straight running when waterimpacts the sides of the jet drive 18, i.e., water forces on the jetdrive 18 may be sufficient to compress the springs 92 a and/or 92 b andsomewhat turn the jet drive 18. Because neither the spring 84 nor theslot 82 of the second embodiment of a land and water steering unit 60 bare aligned with the rod 88 when the steering is centered, the jet drive18 is better held when in the center position.

The amphibious vehicle 10 is shown in-water with a water line 106 abovethe lower edge of the door 104 is shown in FIG. 17A, and an interiorside wall 100 according to the present invention for allowing the doorsto open while in the water is shown in FIG. 17B. The interior side wall100 is a height H_(WL) above the water line 106. The height H_(WL) ispreferably at least three inches and more preferably between four andsix inches, and may vary due to vehicle loading. The combination of therunning boards 21 a and 21 b and the interior side walls 100 allow thedoors to be opened in-water, and, for example, a skier, to simply steponto either running board, and into the interior 102 of the amphibiousvehicle 10. Further, because the interior side wall 100 prevents entryof water into the amphibious car 10 in normal operation, (i.e., not inoverly rough water), the doors 104 do not require sealing.

While the invention herein disclosed has been described by means ofspecific embodiments and applications thereof, numerous modificationsand variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention set forth in the claims.

1. An amphibious vehicle comprising: a frame; two front wheels attachedto the frame; port and starboard front wheel wells for the two frontwheels; two rear wheels attached to the frame; port and starboard rearwheel wells for the rear wheels; a hull attached to the frame, the hullcomprising; a bow; a stern; a bow portion extending between the bow andfront axles of the two front wheels; a mid portion between the frontaxles and rear axles of the rear wheels; a stern portion extending fromthe rear axles to the stern; a “V”shaped longitudinal center portionextending along a centerline of the hull from the bow to the stern; andsponsons extending along outside edges of the hull between the frontwheel wells and the rear wheels, the sponsons absent in front of thefront wheel wells, and the right and left sponsons approximatelycentered on the right and left front and rear wheels respectively forproviding lift during in-water operation of the amphibious vehicle, thelowest point of the “V” shaped longitudinal center portion reachinglower than the lowest point of the sponsons; a body carried above thehull, the front wheel wells formed in at least one of the hull and thebody and the rear wheel wells formed in at least one of the hull and thebody; a power plant providing power; a jet drive receiving power fromthe power plant and residing inside the hull at the stern of the hullfor providing in-water propulsion; and a drive mechanism receiving powerfrom the power plant for driving the rear wheels for providing on-landpropulsion, wherein the “V” shaped longitudinal center portion reachesoutward and upward from the centerline of the hull center portion tocenter portion outer edges aligned approximately with wheel inside edgesof the wheels, and further including port and starboard turning edgesrunning between the port and starboard wheel wells along the centerportion outer edges of the “V” shaped longitudinal center portion, theturning edges having faces facing inward to trap water during turning tofacilitate the turning.
 2. The amphibious vehicle of claim 1, whereinthe turning edges are on inside faces of the sponsons.
 3. The amphibiousvehicle of claim 2, wherein the sponsons taper upward and outward fromthe turning edges.
 4. The amphibious vehicle of claim 1, wherein thesponsons include a downward and sternward sweeping leading edge fixedlypositioned behind the front wheels and blending the port and starboardfront wheel wells into the port and starboard sponsons for reducingdrag.
 5. The amphibious vehicle of claim 2, wherein the turning edgesare approximately vertical.
 6. The amphibious vehicle of claim 1,wherein the sponsons have about the same width as the wheels.
 7. Theamphibious vehicle of claim 1, wherein: the turning edges comprisevertical inside faces of the sponsons; and the sponsons tapermonotonically upward and outward from the turning edges.
 8. Anamphibious vehicle comprising: a frame; at least one front wheelsupported by the frame; port and starboard rear wheels supported by theframe; port and starboard rear suspension moveably attached between theport and starboard rear wheels and the frame inboard of the port andstarboard rear wheels for allowing vertical motion of the port andstarboard rear wheels, the port and starboard rear suspension havingrear control arm lowered positions for extending the rear wheels foron-road driving and rear control arm raised positions for retracting therear wheels for in-water driving; a hull carrying the frame, the hullcomprising; a bow; a stern; a bow portion extending from the bow to theat least one front wheel; a mid portion between the at least one frontwheel and the rear wheels; a stern portion behind the rear wheels; a “V”shaped longitudinal center portion extending along a centerline of thehull from the bow portion to the stern portion; and rear wheel wells forthe two rear wheels; port and starboard rear suspension cutouts in thehull bottom vertically aligned with the port and starboard rearsuspension respectively, the rear suspension lowerable to the loweredpositions through the suspension cutouts when the rear wheels areextended for on-road driving, and the rear suspension raisable to theraised positions above the suspension cutouts then the rear wheels areretracted for in-water driving; and port and starboard rear moveableflaps attached along one edge to the hull in front of the rear cutoutsand vertically aligned with the port and starboard rear suspensioncutouts, the rear flaps residing planar to the bottom of the hull whenthe rear suspension is in the raised positions for smoothing at least aportion of the rear suspension cutouts with the hull, and the rear flapslowerable to vertically separate from the bottom of the hull to allowthe rear suspension control arms to assume the lowered positions; avehicle body carried above the hull; a power plant providing power; ajet drive receiving power from the power plant and residing inside thehull at the stern of the hull for providing in-water propulsion; and adrive mechanism receiving power from the power plant for driving therear wheels for on-land propulsion, wherein: the rear flaps soleattachment to rear lower control arms is by straps to pull the rearflaps upward against the hull when the rear control arms are raised; andthe rear flaps move downward when the rear lower control arms push downagainst the rear flaps to allow lowering the rear wheels.
 9. Theamphibious vehicle of claim 8, wherein; the at least one front wheelcomprises two front wheels, and the amphibious vehicle furtherincluding: port and starboard front wheel wells for the front wheels,the front wheel wells formed in at least one of the hull and the body;port and starboard front control arms moveably attached between thefront wheels and the frame inboard of the front wheels for allowingvertical motion of the front wheels, the control arms having a frontcontrol arm lowered position for extending the front wheels for on-roaddriving and front control arm raised positions for retracting the frontwheels for in-water driving; front suspension cutouts residing in thehull bottom vertically aligned with the front control arms, the frontcontrol arms lowerable through the front suspension cutouts when thefront wheels are extended for on-road driving and the front control armsraisable above the front suspension cutouts then the front wheels areretracted for in-water driving; and moveable front flaps attached alongone edge to the hull and vertically aligned with the front suspensioncutouts and residing planar to the bottom of the hull when the frontcontrol arms are in the front control arm raised positions smoothing atleast a portion of the front suspension cutouts with the hull, and arelowerable to vertically separate from the bottom of the hull to allowthe front suspension control arms to assume the front control armlowered position.
 10. An amphibious vehicle comprising: a frame; twofront wheels supported by the frame; a rack and pinion steering unit forturning the front wheels for on-land steering; two rear wheels supportedby the frame; a hull carrying the frame, the hull comprising; a bow; astern; a bow portion extending from the bow to the at least one frontwheel; a mid portion between the at least one front wheel and the rearwheels; a stern portion behind the rear wheels; a “V” shapedlongitudinal center extending along a centerline of the hull from thebow portion to the stern portion; and a vehicle body carried above thehull; a power plant providing power; a jet drive receiving power fromthe power plant and residing inside the hull at the stern of the hullfor providing in-water propulsion; a Morse cable connected to the rackand pinion steering unit and connected to the jet drive to turn the jetdrive for in-water steering; a sliding member connected a steering armof the rack and pinion steering unit to the Morse cable through acoupling mechanism; the sliding member remaining in a first positionrelative to the coupling mechanism during an initial motion of the rackand pinion steering unit away from a centered position thereby directlycoupling motion of the rack and pinion steering unit to the Morse cable;the sliding member sliding relative to the coupling mechanism duringfurther motion of the rack and pinion steering unit and not coupling thefurther motion of the rack and pinion steering unit into motion of theMorse cable; and a drive mechanism receiving power from the power plantfor driving the rear wheels for on-land propulsion.
 11. The amphibiousvehicle of claim 10, wherein the coupling mechanism comprises: a bellcrank; a bell crank pivot; a slot in one leg of the bell crank, thesliding mechanism slidably residing in the slot; a spring urging thesliding member towards the end of the slot nearest to the pivot tocouple motion of the steering arm to the Morse cable during initialmotion of the steering arm away from the centered position and to allowthe sliding member to slide in the slot during further motion of thesliding member away from the centered position to decouple the furthermotion of the steering arms from the Morse cable.
 12. An amphibiousvehicle comprising: a frame; at least one front wheel attached to theframe; two rear wheels attached to the frame; a hull attached to theframe, the hull comprising; a bow; a stern; a bow portion extendingbetween the bow at least one front axle of the at least one front wheel;a mid portion between the at least one front axle and rear axles of therear wheels; a stern portion extending from the rear axles to the stern;a “V”shaped longitudinal hull center portion extending along acenterline of the hull from the bow to the stern, the “V” having a depthof D_(H) to a lowest point at a center of the hull center portion from ahighest point at a center portion outside edge of the hull centerportion in a cross-sectional view taken just behind the at least onefront wheel; outside portions of the hull on each side of the hullcenter portion reaching to outside edges of the hull; and approximatelyvertical inward facing cutting edges extending along inside edges of theoutside portions of the hull ahead of the rear wheels and having acutting edge depth D_(S) of between 25 percent and 75 percent of thedepth D_(H), for improving turning during in-water operation of theamphibious vehicle; a body carried above the hull; a power plantproviding power; a jet drive receiving power from the power plant andresiding inside the hull at the stern of the hull for providing in-waterpropulsion; and a drive mechanism receiving power from the power plantfor driving the rear wheels for providing on-land propulsion.
 13. Theamphibious vehicle of claim 12, wherein the cutting edge depth D_(S) isapproximately 50 percent of the depth D_(H).
 14. An amphibious vehiclecomprising: a frame; at least one front wheel attached to the frame; tworear wheels attached to the frame; a hull attached to the frame, thehull comprising; a bow; a stern; a bow portion extending between the bowat least one front axle of the at least one front wheel; a mid portionbetween the at least one front axle and rear axles of the rear wheels; astern portion extending from the rear axles to the stern; a “V”shapedlongitudinal center portion extending along a centerline of the hullfrom the bow to the stern; and a body carried above the hull; aninterior in the body for occupants; at least one door for allowing entryinto the interior, a lower edge of the door below a water line when thevehicle is in the water; an interior side wall residing adjacent to andinwardly of the at least one door to prevent entry of water into theinterior during in-water operation when the door is open; a power plantproviding power; a jet drive receiving power from the power plant andresiding inside the hull at the stern of the hull for providing in-waterpropulsion; and a drive mechanism receiving power from the power plantfor driving the rear wheels for providing on-land propulsion.
 15. Theamphibious vehicle of claim 14, further including a runner boardresiding between the door and the interior side wall for facilitatingentry and exit from the vehicle in the water.